


Lights on a Tree

by kickcows



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28207707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/pseuds/kickcows
Summary: Peter takes Gamora to Earth to experience the joys of Christmas.
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill
Kudos: 6
Collections: 2020 Marvel Holiday Secret Santa





	Lights on a Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queenofdeansbooty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofdeansbooty/gifts).



> Here is my gift for queenofdeansbooty for the Marvel Secret Santa! :) Please enjoy! 

* * *

Bobbing her head to the song ‘Moonage Daydream’, Gamora looked over at Peter and saw he was staring intently as they made their next jump. “You look perplexed, Quill.” They were the only two taking this journey, Rocket and Groot staying on Xandar for a bit while Drax and Mantis had gone off to some planet that she couldn’t remember. “What’s on your mind?” 

“Nothin’.” Peter stayed tight-lipped, which immediately made her apprehensive. He was normally someone that you couldn’t get to shut up, and here he was, giving her one word answers. 

“Well, how long before we get to our destination? How many jumps do we need to make?” Those questions would at least warrant a more detailed answer, or so she thought. 

The man that called himself ‘Star-Lord’ gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. “Dunno.” 

“Alright, Peter - enough.” She turned to face him, not at all interested in these one word answers from him. “Something is up. I’m not stupid. What is going on?” 

“Nothing!” The emphasis made her roll her eyes, as she knew he was clearly lying to her. “Why do you think that something is going on?” 

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. “Why are the others not here? You said that it was because they had their own thing to do, but now I’m beginning to doubt what you told me.” 

“I-” Peter looked back at the console and made the next jump. “Look, Gamora - I promise, I’ll tell you soon, okay? Just please - give me the next….twenty minutes.” 

“Why would I give you twenty minutes? Why can’t you just be honest with me?” Unbuckling herself from her seat, she stood up and shot him an angry look. “Just once, I wish you would trust me, Peter. If we’re going on a secret mission, fine! I don’t care! But I don’t like you lying to me!” 

“I’m not lying!” The defensive tone had her tilting her head down at him. “Just...go. I’ll let you know when I need you to strap in for the landing.” 

“One day you’ll learn to trust me, Peter Quill.” Gamora didn’t bother to hide the hurt in her voice, wanting Peter to feel guilty for how he was acting towards her. She didn’t deserve it - she had thought they had moved past all of this. After everything they went through trying to get away from Ego, they were right back where they had been prior to that terrible adventure. 

Looking around the ship, she could see remnants of their friends that weren’t on this journey with them. Tree bark littered the floor - Groot had taken to start peeling it off of him. There were wires everywhere from where Rocket had been working on his last modification to a highly sought after weapon. And well - there were bags of half-eaten chips left around by Drax. Nothing was left behind by Mantis, but that was because she was very aware of her surroundings, much like Gamora was. Unlike her sister, who had done a number on their ship in retaliation to something she’d said to her. Nebula was off on a discreet mission to Hala, and had been there for a few months now, contact with her nonexistent. 

Gamora began to wonder if Peter was taking her to visit her sister. That could explain his weird attitude, and how he was acting about things whenever she asked a simple question to him. All he had told her was that they were going to be going on a quick trip, and it would only be the two of them. And now she was beginning to have more doubts - what if there was an ambush waiting for them at their destination? She would _kill_ Peter if he knowingly took her to a dangerous planet. 

“Gamora - sweetie - time to come back up here.” Peter’s voice came through the ship's central speakers. 

“No.” She stayed where she was, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at one of the speakers. “I can stay here while you land.” 

“Come _on_ , I asked for twenty minutes! Don’t be mean to me, Gamora!” 

“You were mean first!” Hating that she was unnaturally upset at her lover, she really didn’t want to see him right now. “Why can’t you just be honest with me?!” 

“I will! I promise!! Just, come up here? Please? I’m begging you, Gamora. I’m on my knees and everything.” 

She had decided to head back to the cockpit and heard him speak the last line when she arrived. “You are lying. _Again_.” He was not on his knees, as he had just stated he was. Looking out the cockpit, she saw a planet that was the prettiest blue that she had ever seen, and could see white swirls of clouds all over it. “Where are we?” She asked, having never seen this planet before. She slipped back into her chair and strapped in, staring in wonder at the planet. 

“Terra.” Peter announced, a bright smile on his face. “Surprise! I wanted to bring you to where I was born, Gamora. And sorry for the secrecy, but I really didn’t want the others with me. And while it’s going to probably be an issue that I’ll have a green goddess with me, I’ve been told that we can be on Earth - or, Terra - for twenty-four hours without any sort of penalty hit on us.” 

That was _not_ the answer she had expected to come out of Peter’s mouth. Shock didn’t cover how she felt, nor did it convey her own feelings about how sweet of a gesture this was. Again, not something she thought her lover would ever be capable of. She would overlook the comment about her being a green goddess, for the moment. “You did this for me?” 

“I did.” Peter broke atmo, the ship shuddering as they descended through the sky. “We’re cloaked right now, but the people that can see us know that we’re here so no harm, no foul.”

“But you said-” 

“We can say you’re an actress that’s staying in character for a role.” Peter tapped his finger against his temple. “I already thought of it. Besides, if they look at you, it’s because you’re drop dead gorgeous and I have no right to be called your boyfriend.” 

“Peter.” Gamora looked out the window and saw a sprawling metropolis. “Where are we?” 

“They call this city Chicago.” Peter flew close to tall buildings, Gamora staring out the window, looking at them with wonder in her eyes. “I figured if we went to New York, there might be more trouble there than it’s worth. Remember when the Chitauri attacked there?” 

“Right.” She remembered very well, having supported Thanos on reigning down destruction on this planet. A soft sigh left her mouth as she realized how lucky she was to no longer be under his thumb. “This is amazing, Peter. That’s why you’ve been acting strange.” 

“Yep. Hey, wait.” Laughing, she saw him pout then it turned into a smile. “And I wanted to bring you here now, because of that.” He pointed to a very large tree that seemed to be decorated in many tiny lights, making it look very aesthetically pleasing but she had no idea why someone would do that to a tree. “It’s Christmas, Gamora.” 

“What is Christmas?” It wasn’t a phrase she had heard before. “Is it dangerous?” 

They landed their ship in a park, the ship staying cloaked, making it look like they were walking down an invisible ramp. No one was nearby, which was a surprise that worked out in their favor. “Christmas is a time of year where people get together with their families, exchange gifts that make people smile, and you eat lots and lots of sweets.” 

“Is Kevin Bacon here?” Gamora looked up at him, excitement beginning to bubble up inside of her. “Without a stick up his butt?” 

Peter laughed, making her feel slightly embarrassed by her own enthusiasm. “No, well - yes. Kevin Bacon is here on Terra, but he’s not _here_. Or, maybe he is. I don’t know - Chicago was always a pretty popular destination. At least, that’s what I remember from when I was a kid.” He put his arm around her, Gamora easily stepping closer to him. “That tree we saw? That’s a special tree.” 

“Is that why it had lights on it?” They walked down the street, no one really paying any attention to them. Maybe no one would notice that her skin was a very different color than the rest of the Terrans that lived on this planet. “What makes it so special?” 

“It’s called a Christmas tree.” Peter pointed to a store that also had a tree that was decorated with lights. “See? Lots of people put them out this time of year.” 

“But why?” She couldn’t understand why anyone would do that to a tree. Sure, it looked nice, but the tree also looked nice without baubles all over it. “What’s so special about Christmas?” 

“I told you, it’s a time where people get together and celebrate making it through the year.” 

“I thought that was what New Year’s Eve was for.” She reminded him, as he’d told her a story about how they celebrated the new year on Terra before. “That can’t also be how it is for Christmas. Is there a countdown?” 

“Sort of?” They walked towards a building that she knew was a place where people could relax and sleep. “Children go to bed early on Christmas Eve in the hopes that a man named Santa Claus will come into their house and leave them presents.” 

“A man breaks into their houses?!” Gamora shouted, shaking her head as she grabbed her weapon. But Peter was quick to stop her, and slowly got out of her anger stance and stared up at him. “What is so special about Christmas that people need to put lights on their trees, and invite a man named Santa Claus to break into their house to leave gifts??” 

She was right - it was a hotel. Peter turned to look at her. “Stay here, and I’ll explain more. Let me go get our room.” 

“Do you even have Terran money?” 

He held up green pieces of paper. “I do. Now, shush. Stay put.” 

Looking around the lobby, she saw people look at her, but then as they made eye contact, they would quickly look away. Huffing out an exasperated sigh, she saw that there were many little trees covered in lights in the lobby. Terrans were weird. 

“Alright, got our room!” He held up a plastic card, which again, she stared at with trepidation. “Oh, would you quit it?” Peter put his hand on hers, and led her over to a lift. “Come on - let’s go take a look at our room. I bet it will have a nice view. At least, that’s what I told her I wanted.” 

“Are we going to spend much time in our room?” Gamora stood close to him as other people joined them in the elevator. 

“Oh, don’t you look lovely!” An older woman spoke to her, who then turned to a man standing next to her. “Doesn’t she look nice, dear? Were you in the parade earlier?” 

“I-” 

Peter nodded his head. “She was! She was on the third float. Right out front, weren’t you honey?” She glared up at him, but then turned back to the couple and flashed a big smile. “She hasn’t had a chance to take a shower yet. Darn that make-up.” 

“Well, don’t stay in it for too long. You don’t want it to stain your skin!” The older woman said, the elevator coming to a stop on what was apparently their floor, as Peter pulled her towards the opening doors. “Merry Christmas you two!” 

“Merry Christmas, m’am! Sir!” Peter said. 

“Merry Christmas.” Gamora parroted, not at all sure what it meant by saying that, but it seemed the couple liked it as they smiled brightly before disappearing behind the closed doors. “Peter - what is going on?” She turned to look at him. “Parade? What is that?” 

“People line the streets and watch floats. We’re lucky that that happened today - it’s an easy excuse for your skin.” Peter unlocked the door with the plastic card, Gamora staring in wonder at the item. “What?” 

“Is that card magic?” She reached for it, but then Peter held it out of her reach. “Peter, please!” 

“It’s not.” He laughed, then pushed the door open. “It’s magnetic. That’s all. You know how magnets work, Gamora. You’ve used them plenty of times.” 

“Right.” 

Their room was small - barely the size of the cockpit in their ship. But the view - the view had her jaw dropping. A large body of water was in front of them - well, behind a few tall buildings that all seemed to be decorated with the same kind of lights that were on the Christmas trees. She looked up and saw Peter looking at her reflection, which made her turn her head slightly to hide her blush from him. 

“Do you like it, Gamora?” Peter asked, her head turning back to look at him through the reflection. “I wanted to share a piece of my life with you.” 

“It’s beautiful, Peter.” It was true - the body of water, the twinkling lights - it was unlike anything she had ever seen. “Terra is beautiful.” 

“I’m glad you think so.” He turned towards her, the two of them looking at each other. “I want to show you more things in the city, but you’ve got to promise not to snap at anyone that says something about how you look. Can you do that for me?” 

“I suppose I have no choice.” She nodded her head, knowing she needed to play nice. “Will you tell me about Christmas, then?” 

“I will.” Peter grinned. “Come on - let’s go explore the city!” 

No one really said anything to her - again, it seemed that these Terrans were more involved with themselves than what was happening around them. But she didn’t care - she was happy spending time with Peter, the two of them continuing to hold hands as they walked down the streets and into stores. More trees with lights appeared, and then Peter showed her two different types of candelabras - one with eight candles and one with seven and had multicolored candles. Apparently this was a very big deal to people that were celebrating, and all Peter could say was it was because of their religion, whatever that meant. 

They stood around with a bunch of people in front of one of the taller buildings, and everyone shouted and clapped when they turned on the lights of the tree that was in front of the building. Again - she really couldn’t understand why they were doing this, but it was very pretty to look at. 

“Can we get a tree and lights, and take it back with us?” She asked, as they walked back towards the hotel. “I think it would look nice in the ship.” 

“You think?” Gamora nodded her head as she met Peter’s gaze. “I figured Rocket would hate it. And Groot would think it’s stupid.” 

“They don’t know.” Neither did she, but it was okay. Peter had explained enough in his own unique way that she knew it was a very important holiday to him. “But we can only have it out at this time of year, right?” 

“Yes!” Peter seemed to be getting excited at the idea. “We’ll grab a tree and lights before we leave tomorrow. Tonight, though - tonight we’re going to have some fun in our room, Gamora.” 

She laughed and followed him up to their room. While she assumed the kind of fun they would be having would require them to strip out of their clothes and get under the covers, Peter instead turned on the television and let out a cheer. “Look! It’s the Peanuts!” 

“I don’t know what you’re saying.” Gamora said, but it was lost on her lover, who looked like a tiny version of himself - his face all lit up with excitement. 

“This is a famous cartoon that I used to watch as a kid. I’m so happy to see it’s still something people watch!” Peter clapped his hands. “Ah, you’ll love it! Come here, Gamora!” 

She went over to where he was sitting, and leaned against him, watching the characters move around on the screen. It was a cute film, and by the end she was singing the tune under her breath as it was easy to recall, much like the other Terran music she’d been exposed to because of Peter. 

“That was nice.” She said, as names appeared on the screen. “That dog is like Groot.” 

“Exactly!” The grin on Peter’s face was infectious, one appearing on her own face. “Ah, I’m so happy we got to see that!” He turned towards her, and suddenly she felt the mood shift. “Now - it’s time to have some fun.” 

“But I thought we were having fun.” She commented, acting coy about it, as heat began to spread throughout her body at the look in Peter’s eyes. 

“We were, but now it’s time for some _adult_ fun.” 

“Whatever you wish, Star-Lord.” 

Gamora wound up under the covers with Peter, their clothes becoming a thing of the past as they made love to the sound of what Peter said was Christmas music. Some songs were happy, some were sad, but most carried a tune of hope which went well with what Peter was doing to her body. Yes, this was her favorite kind of adult fun with her lover. 

In the morning, they stopped at a store where you could buy a fake tree - again, Terrans were the strangest creatures in the galaxy - and lights. Their ship had remained cloaked, and then they took off and headed back out to space, leaving the memory of Christmas behind them, except for their new tree and lights. 

“What is it?” Rocket asked, after they had picked both him and Groot up from Xandar. “Why’d you buy a fake tree?” 

“I am Groot!” 

“Right? That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever bought, Quill.” Rocket snorted. 

“I’m the one that suggested it.” Gamora quickly defended her decision for wanting it. “It’s to celebrate Christmas.” 

“What’s that?” Rocket continued to stare at the fake tree that they had decorated with lights. “And why put lights on it?” 

“Because it makes people happy. Christmas is a time of year to make everyone happy.” She picked up one of the candy canes - a sweet treat that they had enjoyed the night before while walking through the city. “Here. A sweet treat.” 

“I am Groot!” 

“No, you don’t get one.” Rocket tore off the wrapper and sucked on it. “Huh.”

“That isn’t exactly what Christmas is….You know what?” Peter shook his head, as he put his arm around Gamora. “It’s okay. This is our Christmas. My family.” 

“Your family.” She nodded, then quickly kissed his cheek before Rocket or Groot noticed. “Where are we off to now, Star-Lord?” 

“Might as well head to where Drax and Mantis are. Pick up the rest of our family.” 

Gamora smiled, and nodded her head. “Sounds good.” 

While it would take some getting used to, the Christmas tree - as apparently that’s what it was called - brought a sense of home to their ship. Lights on a tree really made a difference, and she knew that it was special to Peter, which made it special to her. They would put it out at this time of year for as often as they could - and if the lights burned out? She would return to Terra to grab more. If it made Peter happy, and made him look on Christmas with a smile on his face, that was all that mattered to her. 


End file.
